The British government on Tuesday announced a shake-up of public health policy with a new institute to focus on infectious diseases in the wake of the devastating coronavirus outbreak.

More than 41,000 people confirmed with COVID-19 have died in Britain, the worst toll in Europe, and the country is still struggling to implement an effective test and tracing system.

The government is scrapping Public Health England (PHE), the government agency with responsibility for health emergencies in England as well as issues such as smoking and obesity. In its place, a new National Institute for Health Protection will focus on infectious diseases and “external threats,” including from biological weapons.

It will deal with emergencies, local outbreaks, testing and contact tracing, as well as coordinating analysis, surveillance and research.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the institute will start work immediately, as the changes could not wait.”My single biggest fear is a novel flu, or another major health alert, hitting us right now in the middle of this battle against coronavirus,” he said in a speech.

He said the system would learn from South Korea and Germany’s Robert Koch Institute “where their health protection agencies had a huge, primary, focus on pandemic response.”

Just as Britain worked to prepare for “infrequent, yet devastating” risks such as terrorism and financial shocks, he said it must be ready and alert to challenges such as pandemics.

Critics accused the government of making PHE the scapegoat for its handling of the pandemic, which notably saw a lack of testing and protective equipment in the early weeks.

“This isn’t a worked-out plan for public health, it’s a desperate politicised attempt to shift blame,” said Jon Ashworth, health spokesman for the main opposition Labour party.

The government said preventing ill-health and tackling health inequalities were still a “top priority” and it is consulting on how best to share out PHE’s responsibilities for those. While directly replacing PHE, the new institute will work UK-wide and with the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.